Topic: Fuel Points?
I've been thinking over the last few days about a setting with fuel points and also a combined fuel point-solar movement system. I've decided to post my initial notes, mainly to see if people can spot any flaws with it.
(yes, this does mean I'm working on another setting, although I've got one that's half-finished (literally--I've finished the first half, but haven't started the second)
Fuel Point Calculation:
SUs required for one fuel point: Thrust SUs/10 (Hull 3 vessel: 1.2 SUs, Hull 21 vessel: 26.1 SUs)
Fuel Point Usage
Ships use one fuel point per MP generated. A ship using three MPs, for example, uses three fuel points.
Solar Movement and Fuel Points(optional)
This rule is optional--it assumes that the ship uses solar energy (or maybe solar-based propulsion lasers that beam their energy to a ship) to improve the efficiency of the engines. A ship can still move as fast against the solar wind as with it, but the fuel required to achieve maximum efficiency is increased. If desired, ships using the Solar Movement rules can ignore this rule.
Fuel points for solar movement are calculated differently. Triple the number of fuel points if a ship uses Solar Movement.
A ship facing against the solar wind uses 6 fuel points per MP generated (2 standard fuel points). A ship neither moving with or against the solar wind uses 3 fuel points per MP generated (1 standard fuel point). A ship moving with the solar wind uses 2 fuel points per MP generated (2/3 of a standard fuel point). This keeps with the -50% MPs, +50% MPs that solar movement has.
Fuel points are treated as munitions.
Emergency Thrust: MPs above the current engine value requires double fuel points.
This isn't really polished--the concept didn't materialise until three-four days ago--but I think it needs to have people look at it and see if there's any major problems with it.
EDIT: I had forgotten that I had intended to make turns free in terms of fuel usage, but didn't include it in the above section...